Serving the High Plains
Serving the High Plains
Cam Wilde of Leighton Moon talked about signs that would be placed along Route 66 on the city's west side to help guide eastbound travelers into town.
Tucumcari residents and officials received their first look at a proposed wayfinding plan to help direct travelers in the city.
About a dozen people at City Hall watched the presentation last Monday from Groundwork Studio of Albuquerque and Leighton Moon of Alamogordo, contractors for New Mexico MainStreet that will fund the proposal.
Groundwork helped develop other signage for Santa Rosa, Raton, Lovington, Taos, Truth or Consequences, Corrales and Ruidoso. Leighton Moon designed the city's official logo several years ago.
Cam Wilde of Leighton Moon said a consistent color and design for a city's signs will inform, guide and even make out-of-towners feel more welcome.
The plan includes 39 new signs, 41 replaced signs, 32 signs that will be removed and 86 existing signs that will stay where they are. All told, the plan involves nearly 200 signs.
A map of the proposal indicates the signs would be located primarily along Route 66 and First Street.
Signs will direct visitors to museums, recreation, municipal services, schools, visitor center, hospital and airport.
A survey of 77 residents helped Groundwork and Leighton Moon identify places that were deemed harder to find, which were the New Mexico Route 66 Museum, Tucumcari Railroad Museum, Tucumcari Historical Museum, Five Mile Park and other city parks.
The survey also assessed Tucumcari's distinctive characteristics, such as classic neon signs and its Native American, Wild West, Route 66 and Hispanic cultures.
Proposed signs in a red and brown scheme signified much of the city, though dark green ones would be designated to the Tucumcari MainStreet district in downtown.
One set of proposed signs for the city's west side were inspired by whimsical Burma Shave signs that once dotted American roadsides decades ago.
The five west-side Tucumcari signs would read:
"Don't give up
"Don't despair
"Keep on going
"You're almost there."
The final sign would have Tucumcari's official logo.
Those Burma Shave-style signs not only would provide a nostalgic twist, but they would reassure travelers driving east on the city's mostly undeveloped west side they're going in the right direction.
Connie Loveland, executive director of Tucumcari MainStreet, said that idea came years ago from Larry Smith, owner of Motel Safari. The idea was floated to Groundwork and Leighton Moon, and they liked it.
The wayfinding plan will go to the Tucumcari City Commission in July for approval.
Joann Thompson, one of the few non-official attendees at the presentation, liked what she saw, especially the Burma Shave idea.
"Oh, I think that's fun," she said the day after the meeting. "We'd been talking about that forever, especially down there (on the west side)."
Groundworks officials previously said they hoped to have the first phase of the wayfinding plan installed by early 2026, the centennial year of Route 66.
